NOTEBOOK

NOTEBOOK; Cowboys Cut Loose With a Sigh of Relief

By THOMAS GEORGE, Special to The New York Times

Published: November 7, 1989

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6—
The emotion and relief evident in the Dallas Cowboys' locker room after their 13-3 victory over the Washington Redskins Sunday night was what one would expect from a team that had just done away with the ugly specter of a 0-16 season.

No player or coach in the celebration beamed more than the Dallas owner, Jerry Jones, who had bought the Cowboys for more than $140 million, dismissed Tom Landry and then watched his new team record a 3-1 preseason record before losing eight straight games and finally winning.

''If the National Football League has instituted a secret policy for new owners that they'll suffer this many lumps before winning one game just to make them more humble, then believe me, it works,'' Jones said. ''It's only one win but what a big one for us. And why not in Washington, in the nation's capital?''

Dallas has won only two of its last 21 games, both over the Redskins in Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, but there were some encouraging facts: for the second straight week, the defense did not allow a touchdown; Steve Walsh had a sure-handed game at quarterback with no fumbled snaps and no interceptions; the Cowboys did not draw a penalty through four quarters, and Paul Palmer ran for 110 yards and a touchdown, finally showing why he was a No. 1 draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1987.

Washington, however, was left with a 4-5 record as Doug Williams's surprise return only 72 days after back surgery turned sour. Williams was supposed to be a steadying influence in a game in which the Redskins' running game would dominate Dallas' 28th-ranked rushing defense. But Washington managed only 50 rushing yards on 21 carries and Williams threw 52 times, completing 28 and being intercepted twice. Taught to Run Scared

Eric Metcalf took some advice from his father, Terry, before entering his first pro season.

''If I'm running scared, I'm running faster and I'm running around people and avoiding the big hit,'' Metcalf said. ''It's like my dad always told me. He said it's like a fight, and if you run free and keep from getting big hits you get to lift weights the next day.''

Presumably Metcalf, a 5-foot-10-inch, 185-pound running back from Texas who was the Cleveland Browns No. 1 1989 draft choice and the 13th overall pick, lifted weights today without much pain. Metcalf was dazzling in the Browns 42-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, running for a 43-yard score.

Metcalf, son of the former All-Pro running back and kick-return specialist for the then St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins, was first considered too small by the Browns' coaching staff to carry the load for four quarters. Now the Browns can't seem to find enough ways to get him the football. He has 377 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns, 192 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns and 411 yards on kickoff returns, averaging 27.4 yards a return. Metcalf has a slashing, high-stepping, exhilarating style. Missing the Focus

This is what Marv Levy, the Buffalo Bills' head coach, told his 6-2 Bills before they played the 2-6 Atlanta Falcons in Fulton County Stadium on Sunday:

''I'm telling our guys this team is 2-1 at home with a loss to the Rams and that they played the Colts a lot better than we did. I'm telling them they have five No. 1 draft choices. I'm telling them that if we do or don't bring Jim Kelly back for this game, the most important thing is realizing that doesn't matter as much as staying focused on Atlanta.''

Levy's advice apparently fell on deaf ears. The Bills' running backs, Thurman Thomas and Larry Kinnebrew, both rushed for 100 yards in the previous week against the Miami Dolphins, but the team mustered only 118 rushing yards against Atlanta.

Kelly was 17 of 22 for 231 yards in his first game after missing three because of an elbow injury, but it wasn't enough to offset Paul McFadden's game-winning 50-yard field goal with two seconds left that lifted Atlanta to a 30-28 victory. A Lone Interception

Warren Moon missed on only 8 of 38 passes and threw for 345 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Houston Oilers' 35-31 victory over the Detroit Lions. Moon, who also ran 2 yards for a touchdown, had not been intercepted on 100 straight passes before an interception by the linebacker, Jimmy Williams, in the fourth quarter. . . . Rich Karlis, the Denver Bronco kicker, booted a record-tying seven field goals in the Minnesota Vikings' 23-21 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams. This game also marked the first time in league history that a team won in overtime on a safety. . . . Instant replay played a crucial role in the Green Bay Packers' 14-13 victory over the Chicago Bears. Don Majkowski's 14-yard scoring pass to Sterling Sharpe with 32 seconds left was at first nullified when officials ruled Majkowski had stepped over the line of scrimmage before throwing. Replay officials reversed that call.